IN PICTURES: Thousands turn out in France to watch eclipse

French citizens gathered in droves on Wednesday to witness a rare solar eclipse, with long queues forming for protective glasses in the days leading up to the celestial event. This marked the first time mainland Europe experienced such an eclipse since 2006, as the moon's shadow traversed Greenland, plunged Keflavik, 50 kilometers from Iceland's capital Reykjavik, into darkness, and swept across the Atlantic towards northern Spain.

In France, the celestial show was only partially obscured, with the sun 99 percent covered in the Basque Country, 92 percent in Paris, and 90 percent in northeast France. Despite the partial nature of the eclipse, tens of thousands of people flocked to parks and viewing spots, creating a festive atmosphere across the nation. Supplies of specialized viewing glasses were in high demand, with pharmacies and opticians reporting long lines in the afternoons.

At the summit of the Pic du Midi in the French Pyrenees, heavy clouds cleared just in time, granting visitors a clear view of the phenomenon. The eclipse also attracted crowds to Paris, Marseille, and numerous other French towns. Throughout history, eclipses have captivated humanity, evoking awe, fear, and reverence as they seemingly suspend the regular course of nature.

During a total eclipse, the moon's shadow, or umbra, casts an eerie twilight, causing temperatures to plummet, shadows to appear at unusual angles, and some animals to go into a state of slumber. However, these extraordinary events are brief, lasting only a few minutes, as the lunar shadow races across Earth's surface at approximately 3,430 kilometers per hour, according to the Paris Observatory.

The partial eclipse, which began and ended with the moon partially covering the sun, lasted around one hour and 45 minutes. The event was broadcast live by NASA and the European Space Agency, providing scientists with a rare opportunity to study the sun's atmosphere and its outermost layer, in pursuit of understanding solar winds and our star's magnetic field.

Another total eclipse is scheduled to pass over southern Spain and northern Africa in August 2027, while an annular eclipse, where the moon is too small to completely block the sun, creating a "ring of fire," is set to visit the Iberian Peninsula in 2028.